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iMCA: intelligent Monitoring Control and Automation.
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iMCA System: iMCA Server™ based, modular, scalable, multipurpose, cost-effective, enterprise grade solution for for residential and commercial buildings as well as a wide range of general electromechanical monitoring, control and automation. Based on business and installation requirements for automation of remote dwellings and objects, this system can be deployed in door as well as in remote outdoor scenarios.
In production environments, deployed iMCA System usually includes iMCA Controller™ as well as locally or remotely installed switching/sensing/measuring remote terminal units, controllers and/or some video surveillance equipment off-the-shelf integrated with the iMCA Server™. It might also include a number of locally or remotely configured, wired or wireless network enablement components such as IP network switches, load balancers, routers, firewalls, ADSL, Cable, GSM or satellites modems, etc.. -
iMCA Controller™: Installed and configured iMCA Server™ running on Intel based hardware - as standard, server or embedded class computer or as a virtual machine image. In some particular deployment scenarios for residential and commercial building automation or general electromechanical automation, it may contain integrated, "on-board" third party software or hardware components.
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iMCA Server™: is IoT (Internet of Things) type of solution, a comprehensive software integration platform, a multipurpose solution that enables visual monitoring, physical control and automation of virtually any electromechanical object within a building or its related or unrelated inside/outside infrastructure. It seamlessly integrates with different residential and commercial building and general electromechanical automation technologies, switching, remote terminal, power/energy metering, sensing units and devices, Distributed Control Systems (DCS) and Programmable Logic Controllers (PLC) as well as wide range of analog and digital based CCTV video monitoring and security equipment for IP Surveillance and advanced alarms features.
The iMCA Server™ is technology protocols agnostic and operates on wide range off-the-shelf hardware!
In more elaborate language, it can be described as a universal, rapidly deployable, scalable, service oriented, HVAC, SCADA and M2M ready, cross platform middleware, automation framework with a powerful, real time Graphic User Interface. The system enables IP-based monitoring, control and automation of all types of environments - residential, commercial, industrial and scientific as well as remote outdoor and can be used almost in any size project purposes. It has extensive security and video surveillance capabilities which further enhancing overall power and usability of the system!
iMCA Server as a product consists of Windows or Unix/Linux operating system, iMCA Server Application Modules and all necessary and properly configured host operating system's services required for the iMCA Controller™ activation and can be treated as just "another network black box" with virtually no maintenance required. -
iMCA Server™ Modules: iMCA Server Software Modules (BASE, AUTOMATION and VIDEO) offered freely and/or commercially.
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iMCA Server™ PRODUCT: iMCA Server™ software integration platform freely or commercially packaged and which might include at least one of the components bellow:
1) TURNKEY BOX: "ready to go, plug and play" iMCA Controller™. In this case the iMCA Server™ is pre-installed/pre-configured on server or embedded class computer.
2) VIRTUAL MACHINE IMAGE: software implementation of the iMCA Server™ for VMware or Microsoft Hyper-V set of products. When this Virtual Machine Image is run on a computer or a cloud environments the computer become an iMCA Controller™ or a cloud based iMCA Controller Service.
3) COMPACT FLASH: iMCA Server™ on a bootable flash card. When the card installed into a customer's own PC, the computer becomes an iMCA Controller™.
4) DOWNLOADABLE SOFTWARE: Downloadable or distributable but not pre-configured iMCA Server Modules. Only sufficiently skilled personnel will be able setup an iMCA Controller with just the iMCA Server Modules. Usually offered to established system integrators with proper IT skills. Switching/Sensing Units (or controllers) typically come in three "flavours":
1) Sensing only with one or more sensor ports
2) Switching only with one or more switching ports
3) Combined switching/sensing with at least one sensor port and one switching port
Sensing means that via its sensor port(s) the unit can (depending on the unit), read analog data (numeric or textual information) from attached sensor(s) or digital state (on/off) of attached sensor(s), or both.
Switching means that the unit has one or more relays built in, which can (depending on the unit), switch low voltage or high voltage, with the relay contacts being either 'normally open' or 'normally closed'. Also relays themselves can either by electromechanical or SSR (solid state relay, with no moving parts).-
iMCA Server Default Graphic User Interface (iMCA Server DGUI): Default graphic user interface of the iMCA Server User Interface. Based on the license chosen, the look and feel of the iMCA DGUI can be customized to your requirements.
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iMCA User: The iMCA System considers a "User" to be not only a person who can physically login to the system from a variety of access devices, but also a single access device (such as a permanently connected touch screen terminal).
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iMCA Site: A logical grouping of assets you wish to monitor, control or automate, together with the users allowed to access them. This could comprise equipment in multiple physical premises or locations (for example your apartment in the city and holiday house) or even a group of functions within a physical premise (for example management of power, temperature, humidity and lighting of 'computer/LAN room'). An iMCA Site can be controlled by a single or multiple geographically distributed iMCA Controller(s)
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iMCA IP Device - an entity:
a) which provides data input to iMCA Server. This could be a physical IP sensor, a switch (which transmits open or closed state of doors, windows etc) or public information portal (which for example transmits environmental information such as a temperature, humidity etc).
b) whose ports or channels are used to actuate the equipment you wish to control or automate. iMCA IP Device element/port - the communication point of the IP Device, which could either be a port or a channel used to connect end point devices - technology adapters, motor controllers, remote controls, lighting switches, etc...
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iMCA IP Sensor - stand alone IP device, IP Device Element within the IP Device, public information portal containing numeric, textual or state information which can be used independently or logically connected to an IP Switch to actuate peripheral equipment.
A sensor may be a physical device on premises, installed remotely and accessed via computer network, or a piece of information from a public portal (temperature, humidity, precipitation etc.) -
iMCA IP Switch - stand alone IP device or IP Device Element/Port containing digital or relay based functionality capable of generating persistent (or/and momentary) state of ON or OFF and controllable via IP network based commands in one of the iMCA Server's recognized protocols.
A switch is always a physical device on premises, accessible by the iMCA System on premises, or remotely via wired or wireless computer network. iMCA Automation Scenario - a complete user-defined procedure consisting of instructions specifying what should happen when certain events occur. iMCA System does not impose any limit on the number of instructions in an Automation Scenario
iMCA Automation Trigger - an event which causes and iMCA System Automation Scenario to be executed.
Sensor Automation Trigger - a type of iMCA System Automation Trigger where information from a sensor executes the iMCA Automation Scenario.
Time Automation Trigger - a type of iMCA System Automation Trigger where user-defined time thresholds execute the iMCA System Automation Scenario